Secondary Control Belief Combinations (Adjustment and Acceptance) and Well-Being in Older Adults

Few studies of older individuals have directly assessed secondary control beliefs, previously defined by Morling and Evered in 2006 as a combination of psychological adjustment and acceptance. We classified older adults ( n = 223, M age = 85 years, 62% women) into three categories of secondary control beliefs: psychological adjustment only, psychological adjustment and acceptance, and neither psychological adjustment nor acceptance. Relative to individuals who emphasized beliefs about psychological adjustment only, those who emphasized a combination of secondary control beliefs (including both psychological adjustment and acceptance), reported more frequent positive emotions, greater life satisfaction, and less severe chronic conditions. Our findings have implications in both theoretical and applied contexts. Theoretically, our findings extend contemporary thinking on secondary control. In applied contexts, they suggest ways of thinking that could enhance well-being in the very old.